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The Venus Project

In her Venus project, Italian artist Anna Utopia Giordano gives the goddess of love a Photoshop makeover. She takes famous paintings of Venus and slims bellies (and increases busts) to fit today's standards of beauty. Fascinating, don't you think? These images make me appreciate the sensuality of curvy hips.(Via Flavorwire)

Fascinating! Makes me think of your post about how to talk to little girls. I hope my Baby Lulu grows up to love her body, no matter what shape it is (and believe me, at the rate she's going, this girl is going to have some THIGHS!!)

Curvy women love posts like these,because its their chance to beat up on women who are thin. I am 5'8 and I weigh 140 lbs. Women love to put me,down about my figure "eat more", "you can fit this my shape is too womanly for it." I don't understand why it has to be either or, why can't women possess different types of beauty?

While I prefer the originals and understand the point the artist was making, I kind of take offense to a comment above that implies that only one of the figures is "womanly." As someone who is naturally very skinny and built like an 11 year old boy at 25, I am no less "womanly" than someone who happens to have a different body type than me. All women are womanly. And not all "real women" have curves.

I agree 100%, 8Track Honey! I get the "eat a cheeseburger!" comments constantly. As if I somehow chose to have a certain body frame at birth. Not everyone who is thin actively chooses to be so or is anorexic. Sure, more women are built like Adele than like Kate Moss, but that doesn't make either less of a woman. All women (and their bodies) are beautiful.

I have to agree with 8TrackHoney and Erin. While the originals are beautiful, the thinner versions are also very beautiful. I think all female body types are beautiful and examples of "real women"! It's a shame that so many on the curvy side feel the need to express disgust and cattiness toward a thin frame, the same way so many on the thin side feel about curves/large women. Can't we all just acknowledge that being confident in who you are is the way to be most beautiful??

Yes, Erin! I feel the same way. I'm very skinny but that's The way my body is. I eat healthy and exercise, and I find it very offensive when people say real women have curves. Does that mean I'm less of a woman because I'm not curvy? No! Women come in all shapes and sizes !

This is interesting, but if anything it should draw attention to the fact that there have always been standards of beauty, and they have probably never described the majority of women.

All of these women are white Europeans, and in the past it was considered more attractive to have more body fat because it was a sign of wealth and well-being.

It's important to remember that fat or thin, all women struggle with their body image and liking what they see in the mirror, and few of us are actually satisfied with the images in the media in terms of how they make us feel about ourselves. There's always something.

Oh, nvm! I see! Yea, I agree! We aren't allowed to defend ourselves either because we'll come off as jerks! If I went around saying "put down that cheeseburger" I'd be so uncool, but we have to take body criticism with a smile?

If anything, this "project" illustrated to me that BOTH body types are beautiful! I would have a hard time saying which of each of the two I thought looked better. Each picture depicts a beautiful, womanly body, just different versions of it!

I don't think there is anything wrong with the originals, or that they aren't beautiful, but to be honest, like totally honest, I think the photoshop ones are prettier. Sorry. I'm a modern person I guess! I don't think anyone should starve themselves, and I don't think skinny = pretty or fat = pretty (I always tell my husband that I wish my size 14 ass could get some naked time because it looks better outside of my pants than in) but I think the proportions of the photoshopped ones are somehow more appealing to me. I don't see it as a statement about her health necessarily because lots of people are just thin. And they are probably just pretty :) Just like my size 14 ass :)

I'm going to be honest and say my initial reaction was that I found the photoshopped images more attractive.

I hate, and am disturbed, that that was my unedited thought. I'd always thought of myself as the kind of person who was very open to all body types. I myself am more full-figured, and as a queer woman, I'm more often attracted to fuller figure women.

This leads me to believe that I've come to expect the two-dimensional representations of women to be svelte with bigger breasts. I guess I'd never realized how pervasive being inundated with such images day in, day out was.

No. Barf. Why oh why would we want to change these original, sensual beauties? Certainly, make a point all you'd like about beauty's changing standards, but please don't do it by showing me my thighs belong in a "before" photo.

That's such a travesty on this artworks. I am fond of the Bouguereau painting of the birth of Venus, and seeing it liposuctioned is depressing. Sadly, I am closest in body shape to the lipo'd version, but I much like the original.

Lame. This just shows us what are media-infected minds do to us. I'm a healthy, active woman, who exercises every day and eats whole foods and my body just naturally stays in the shape of the originals. If I wanted to starve myself, which is not healthy, then I would look like the modern ones. I think it's tragic that we assume a beautiful women should appear this way.

I saw this the other day and was surprised how much I preferred the originals since I love models like Freja Beha and other super slim models. The originals look sensual and the thin ones seemed out of place.

I agree with a lot of the other commenters. I too get annoyed that people always say that curvy women are "real women" or "regular women." I am slim and small-chested and I think I'm real.

And in reaction to Krystel's stat about models being 8% thinner during the 80s versus now, couldn't that have more to do with the general population getting heavier, not models and our aesthetic necessarily getting thinner. People always love to say how Marilyn Monroe wore a size 16 as proof that our aesthetics become debased in liking thin women now. However, when they auctioned her things at Christie's they couldn't find mannequins small enough to fit her clothes. Size inflation. Let's have a little context for stats folks.

Bigger looks better naked. I think sample size 0 requires less fabric so we are stuck with thin models for fashion. But Kate Upton is on the cover of sport illustrated and she is a bit more curvier than past SI models! Perhaps that signifies a refreshing change in tastes.

back in the times these paintings were originally created, it was seen as undesirable to be thin because it meant you had to work hard, and that meant you didn't have money.

it was preferable to not be skinny and to have pale skin. why? it meant you were wealthy because you could stay indoors all day not working in the fields like a farmer (pale skin) and could afford to eat more food/didn't have hard physical labor aka excersize (not skinny).

the wealth is what's attractive. back then wealth was pale and curvy, now wealth is tan and thin.

i'm not just surmising this because it makes sense either, i went to school for art history and we would have long discussions about this. the classic perceptions of beauty were considerably different. i agree the originals look better, but the cultural context is completely different and that is often ignored when women discuss body size.

I saw this a few days ago. It truly is an interesting commentary. It just goes to show there will always be beauty standards.

And as a woman who has always been a bit on the curvy side... I don't think it's about "real women have curves" (Lord, I would trade for a boyish figure in a heartbeat) But that often we only see skinny (or the opposite side of the spectrum. Biggest Loser anyone?) portrayed in the media. So personally I always took a little solace in these paintings showing me that... Why yes, your figure is completely natural.

jen, erin, its not about putting down woman or are naturally thin. its that desperately trying to be thin is unhealthy, and unwomanly. also, adjusting photos of real women to make them thinner then there are is what the criticism is about. i find it hard to believe that a woman who is thin (as i am too) deals with as much criticism as a heavier woman today. this isn't about hating thin woman, but don't pretend that the media tells you you're too naturally thin.

Wow, I am very surprised my own reaction to these images. I imagined that I would overwhelmingly prefer the originals and not pay any mind to the re-creations -not because I don't value what the artist is doing but because I want to celebrate the beauty of the natural woman. However for the majority of the images I found myself liking the enhanced versions of the women and most surpassingly feeling a couple of the images now felt provocative in a way that I never thought of the originals. Hmmm....Giordano has left me thinking more about my own ideals of beauty and why.

Hi! This is very interesting and also a bit sad I think. Wemans bodies are so medialised. I just saw a really interesting lecture on YouTube, killing us softly, wich I deeply recomend! http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=/watch?v=1ujySz-_NFQ&feature=share&feature=share&v=1ujySz-_NFQ&gl=SE

Gosh, what a cool project. Some of the comments are a little hurtful, though (toward both body types). I'm on the curvy side, and I can't say that this project did anything positive for my self-confidence--the cultural "norm" is too embedded in my psyche, I guess. The "girlish" body looked like a few of my woman friends, and I hope this project doesn't make them feel any better or worse about their bodies, either. I think it was meant to point to an issue, not say which body is better. So, I guess what I'm tryint to say is take it easy on each other, commenters.

Seeing the difference between the original and altered images gave me a new appreciation for my own curves. Thank you so much for this post Joanna it was nice to wake up and read this. A great start to my day! :D

Whether the originals or the altered photos, the thing that strikes me the most and that makes the women so beautiful is that there they are, in all their naked splendor, and they are COMFORTABLE with their bodies. That is just plain sexy whether you weigh 80 pounds or 300.

this is a very interesting project and demonstrates our evolving standards of beauty. At a time when thinness was deemed unattractive, women with fuller figures were considered beautiful, and now it's the opposite. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. A healthy mindset and learning to be happy in your own skin is key. xoxo

What a wonderful idea. I prefer the originals. It reminds of me an old 'The Nanny' episode where Fran's character sees that last painting and comments that right now she would be drinking slim fast and jogging.

This definitely makes me feel better about myself. I see the old paintings and think, there's a beautiful woman who probably enjoys life. The latter looks like someone who spends every moment obsessing about her looks. Or maybe I'm just projecting.

I think this is terrible, what this artist is doing. What is the 'norm' is probably only a tiny percentage of women's body types. There's nothing wrong with a bit of fat on the hips and butt and thighs... or tummy...

If I saw a picture of a larger or smaller woman I would always say the smaller looked better- but this is perhaps where photography being new makes a difference- the camera favours less- I've often seen models who look wonderful in pictures who look unwell and even bizarre in real life.

Lots of small people look great too but women should be proud of their difference- teeny tiny with no chest or gloriously Boticelli esque- both are beautiful if they are reasonably healthy to body and mind.

No one ever worries about a man who is a little heavier set.

In fact I went to University with a girl who was hospitalised for some months with an eating disorder and now feel very strongly about this. Her problem was being pear shaped- even when she was far beyond any kind of fatness- being fed on a drip and so on her hips were wider and fuller than the rest of her frame because she was built that way and it's sad she felt that was wrong and made herself so very unwell because of it.

Here is what I think. The women on the original painting are no more 'real' than the photoshopped version. The original paintings are a reflection of how -mostly- male painters portrayed women and their surroundings at the time. They are unlikely to reflect what women really looked like at the time. Paintings were mostly commissioned just like today glossy and online magazines are also dependent on advertising. I wonder if the artist is trying to make a point, that it's not about size but about the times and gender politics we live in. Thin, average build, skinny, curvy, above average, feminine, boyish, small, tall etc: no matter what, we are all women in the end. Loving ourselves may be more important than debating what the best size to be is.

I think this is interesting in light of the photoshopping that is the current norm in popular media. We airbrush our celebrities to “perfection” but when this technology is applied to works of art we cry foul.

So interesting! "Beauty" definitely changes between generations and I guess even between years! Skinny jeans, for example--which make a woman's proportions appear different than if she was wearing a pair of maybe bootcut jeans--would've been a joke if you'd worn them before our idea of what's pretty or cool caught up to them. I also think it's interesting that the artist kept the men the same in all the images. Does our idea of what makes a guy attractive stay more constant than it does for women?

I think my comment above (second comment) was misconstrued to say that "real women" must by definition be curvy - I was merely saying that the images that we see in the media of women are rarely what women really look like (in the fact that almost all images in magazines are now photoshopped and create unrealistic expectations for girls and women of what we're supposed to look like). I was merely commenting on the detriments of what Photoshop has done to our society.

That last one reminds me of a piece of art I came across by artist Carly Swenson. She's got the same idea in mind. I love to see how different artists portray the same message. http://nakedcarlyart.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/2010-seven-social-sins/

As an art student, this kind of project really makes me happy. I've been disgusted with the image of beauty that women have had to fulfill, and it shows in classical art, that curvy healthy bodies, are healthy bodies. (:

Ok- I'm confused. She take the pictures and makes the woman LOOKS THINNER!!!!???? What the heck? Why on earth would anyone do this? Women today already have the pressure of being a stick figue. I am absolutely disappointed that you would showcase art that shows that our view of beauty is pencil-thin with big boobs.

Also, how disrespectful to the original artists? I'm sure the italians don't endorse this view of beauty at all.

I think this is awful. These body types shouldn't be compared - there are women who look like the originals, and there are women who look like the photoshopped ones... and they are all "real" women. We should embrace all women and all healthy body types and not pit skinny and curvy women against one another.

The reason I find it is thought provoking is because to me it shows just how easy it is to Photoshop nowadays, and the fact that most images that we see in the media are not the 'real deal' - they are altered. I don't care is someone is skinny, 'plump', curvy, or fat - but they (the media) should just show people like they are. The only thing Photoshop should be used for is pimples and lighting, not deforming shapes.

Yes, the size 0 trend did get taken way too far but whilst we sit here complaining about people taking thin to the extreme (which I agree is an issue) we seem to have forgotten that the majority of Americans are actually OVER weight which is also unhealthy, and unhealthy is never attractive.

On a lighter note, i think both the originals and edits are beautiful, the edits don't look underweight at all.

First off: woman in all shapes and sizes are beautiful. None are less womanly than the other.

But: at the moment, thin is in. Do we ever see models that look like the originals? Ever? (Aside from the occasional "special" plus-size spread, which is honestly not helpful since it's setting larger woman in a different frame... wouldn't be seen as ok if there was a "special" spread of black models, when all the others were white... or Asian or Indian or anything, really.)

The reason that's a problem: when I hit my late twenties, I went from a thin figure to one that looks like the original paintings here. NOT because I got less healthy; I work out more and eat better than I did in my early twenties. But my body changed anyway; I got larger hips, breasts, and a little softness in the tummy. Because you never EVER see models that look like that in the media, I actually thought that I had ovarian cancer or something like that because I couldn't stop being "bloated." Because everyone has flat stomachs in the media, and mine wasn't flat anymore... so clearly I must be sick somehow.

I have a strong, muscled body under my curves (probably unlike the originals in the paintings), and I think it would be nice to see representations of that out in the media. Because size 12 should be considered just as beautiful as a size 2.

I am a slender woman. I stopped reading the comments above because they were very hurtful. No matter what your body type, women struggle with body image. I am trying to gain weight so that people will stop making rude comments to me about my size. When you make comments like "You're so skinny, it makes me sick" all it really does is reveals your own insecurities and makes me feel insecure. Thanks ya'll for making me feel bad for being just the way I was made. For the record, I DON'T CARE WHAT SIZE YOU ARE! What I care about is the smile on your face and the kind words that exit your mouth.

Wow! A great way to demonstrate how messed up body image has become in our culture... I prefer the originals too! Unfortunately, I think it's still hard to recognize curves as positive qualities when we look at our own bodies because of all the imagery we see that suggests otherwise.

I know I shouldn't say this but the photoshopped versions are much more pleasing to the eye. I know I will get some pretty bad feedback on this comment but the photoshopped versions look healthier and fitter to me which is nothing to be ashamed of. This is just my personal opinion.

The originals look like women who've had babies, the photoshopped versions like barely post-adolescent girls. This makes me realize that the female body is no longer appreciated by popular culture in terms of fertility, childbearing. We're all supposed to be little girls forever, just starting to come into our women's bodies, not women whose bodies have actually been used for something reproductive. What happens to the second part of life? Do we wait for it forever and just don't get it at all? Or when we get it, do we become no longer fit to be seen? It's pretty unwholesome, I'd say. Other art celebrates the beauty of the young girl and her body (Degas' ballerinas, for example), but this is the art of the mature woman, recognized for the beauty of her body. The originals are better, of course.

It is not so much the size and weight of the women being compared, as it is the photo shopped women are SMALLER--and take up less space in their area of the painting. It causes the proportion of the background vs the subject to be somewhat off balance...

I think these are wonderful works of art. I love the way they used to paint back in the day. Visit my blog to find out about creative techniques in art through videos and photos at http://aleksandraromashko.comthank you

i like them better with the curves! I love this. after having a baby I have TONS of stretch-marks ALL OVER my stomach, and a little sag in the belly. :( I feel so gross, but my husband tells me I'm beautiful. :)

I thought the photo shopped images were intended to show how advertizing has influenced our concept of feminine charm. I stumbled across these images after reading, "I'm Fat ... So What?". My wife is XX weighted. We hold hands and stop to kiss pretty much everywhere, and I am very proud of her. We met on the internet and she was very nervous about meeting me in person. I had suggested that we kiss immediately to get any awkwardness out of the way. That was 12 years ago and we have never stopped kissing.

Both curvy and skinny/fit body types are beautiful (and natural).The problem with todays standards is that you should be both skinny AND have big breasts.. And that's hard to achieve without liposuction and/or a boob job.

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